Summary
Despite the fact that Netflix’s One Piece has only just begun with its first season, the series has already very subtly set up season 3 with this one small Nami detail. Netflix’s One Piece is a live-action, action-adventure series based on the popular manga and anime of the same name. The series follows Monkey D. Luffy and his ragtag pirate crew as they search for the legendary treasure, the One Piece, in order to become the Pirate King. One Piece stars Iñaki Godoy, Emily Rudd, Mackenyu, Jacob Romero Gibson, and Taz Skylar.
Although Netflix only has one season of One Piece under their belt, the franchise is a vast one. Because the series is based on both an anime and manga, it has storylines that far exceed a single season, and because of the show’s success, it seems likely that these next seasons will happen in the future. However, these new seasons were far from a guarantee when One Piece season 1 first dropped. Therefore, it is pretty surprising that the Netflix series dropped a very early hint at a One Piece storyline that wouldn’t occur until season 3.
Nami’s Story About Noland Sets Up Skypiea In One Piece Season 3
One Piece season 1 hints at season 3 when Nami decides to read an injured Zoro a story to make him feel better. She chooses the story of Noland the adventurer, which may seem fairly innocuous, but for fans of the anime, is actually a major hint at One Piece season 3. The story of Noland the adventurer is that Noland discovered a city of gold. When he told the king, the king traveled there without Noland’s help to take the gold for himself. However, when the king lost most of his crew and found no gold, he proclaimed Noland to be a liar.
Although Noland’s story had little influence on One Piece season 1, the tale is the start of a major story arc that will occur in One Piece season 3 called the Skypiea Arc. This is the thirteenth story arc of the One Piece anime and manga, and the last arc within the Sky Island Saga. In the Skypiea Arc, Luffy and the Straw Hats travel to the city of Skypiea and discover that it has real-life connections to the story of Noland and his gold city. As the Straw Hats set out to find the treasure, they unexpectedly enter a war between the Skypieans, the Shandians, and the god Enel.
One Piece Teasing Skypiea Is Great For The Netflix Show’s Future
The fact that One Piece season 1 has already teased Skypiea is a great sign for the show’s future. While Netflix has a tendency to cancel shows right before they take off, One Piece’s hints at future seasons makes it seem like the streaming service has high hopes for their new live-action series. If Netflix is willing to allow the series to make inferences towards significant future storylines, then it seems likely that the show will continue at least until season 3. This certainly doesn’t happen for every show that is picked up by Netflix, so One Piece must have some serious power among audiences.
Nami’s Noland and Skypiea reference is also a good sign because it shows that Netflix’s One Piece wants to remain true to the source material. Another major issue that Netflix adaptations have is straying too far from the series’ source material, causing viewers to get upset with the show, and ultimately destroying its ratings. However, because One Piece has already hinted at a future storyline, audiences can expect the live-action series to play out just as the anime did. This ensures that One Piece will likely remain popular into future seasons.
Why Skypiea Likely Won’t Happen In One Piece Season 2
If Netflix’s One Piece continues following the timeline of the original anime, then the Skypiea arc will happen in season 3 rather than One Piece season 2. This is because One Piece season 1 follows the East Blue Saga and the beginning of the Loguetown Arc. To remain chronological, One Piece season 2 would finish out the Loguetown Arc before jumping into the Arabasta Saga. This story arc sees the Straw Hats arrive in the desert of Arabasta to stop a war from breaking out. From there, the Skypiea Saga is next, so it makes sense that there wouldn’t be time for this storyline until One Piece season 3.
